German police arrest 400 protesters

German Police carry away a protester as they evict the Occupy Camp in front of the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt. (File Photo)

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German police have arrested at least 400 peaceful anti-capitalism “Blockupy” protesters demonstrating against the EU governments’ austerity policies in the financial hub of Frankfurt, Press TV reports.
Earlier on Thursday, up to 1,000 Socialist and anti-Capitalism protesters gathered outside Frankfurt’s City Hall to protest the Germany’s adoption of austerity measures. The Frankfurt city police considered the gathering "unauthorized."
According to the German police officials, 150 protesters were detained by the riot police on Thursday for ‘defying the assembly ban’ in their protests outside of the City Hall.
The protest was part of a planned four-day long rally called “Blockupy” which began on Wednesday to oppose Germany’s euro debt crisis policies that have affected the lives of millions of ordinary people.
The Thursday demonstrations came after a German court on Monday permitted protesters to hold rallies only on Wednesday and Saturday, rejecting demonstrations to take place on the other days.
However on Wednesday, German riot police removed some 240 protesters from their occupy camps outside of the European Central Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt, arresting 13 people.
As Saturday demonstrations are expected to reach a climax with over 4,000 protesters participating in the anti-capitalism and anti-austerity protests, the Frankfurt police department has called for reinforcement from other states’ police forces.
Some 5,000 police officers will be reportedly deployed to Frankfurt city to help the local police keep in check the upcoming Saturday protests.
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